S2E3: Total War Part 2
by BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: Viggo has declared war on the Berkians. While Gothi sends for a healer from the mainlands in hopes of saving Hiccup's life, Stoick sends his armada to meet Viggo in battle. But "the enemy of my enemy is my friend"...is it possible Viggo has another enemy, one even he does not know about?
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, guys, here we are! :D Time to get busy! :D And oh, updates on this one might be a _biiiiiiiiiiiit_ slower than usual...like, maybe one or two a day instead of three, just because I'm still plotting out how this story is going to end...I'm seriously considering killing someone...not from the good side, but from Viggo's side...we'll see what happens! :D Tell me if you want someone on Viggo's side to die, and I'll take it from there! :D Enjoy chapter 1! :D **

**Oh, and in this fic, do you want more Hiccstrid, or, what? :) Enjoy chapter 1! :D**

* * *

Astrid paced back and forth, back and forth, wringing her hands together over the handle of her axe. Splinters had buried themselves into her palms, but she didn't care. She couldn't think about anything else, other than what might be going on in the hut she was pacing in front of.

They were still on Dragon's Edge, and the noon sun beat down on Astrid, though she never stopped pacing, never stopped moving, afraid that the moment she did, she would think too much about what she had recently witnessed.

The Berkians had arrived shortly after Viggo left. Viggo's dragon hunters (ten of them to be exact) were locked away in Dragon's Edge dungeon, awaiting interrogation. Astrid would have already been down there, screaming her throat out at them if it hadn't been for one thing...one single, solitary thing…

It was a miracle Gothi had come on the ship with the rest of the Berkians. Astrid figured they had brought her along in case any of the riders sustained injury; and it was a good thing they did, or else, Astrid wouldn't have been pacing.

She would be helping the Berkians construct a funeral pyre…

Suddenly, Gobber stepped out of the hut, looking grim, helmet off his head and clutched in his one good hand. Astrid instantly surged forward, desperate to hear a report.

"Is...is he…?" she stammered, hardly able to speak; her hands were shaking so hard she nearly dropped her axe.

"Gothi's done all she can," said Gobber, sniffling heavily, looking unbelievably grave. "But...lass, it was close...too close. A few more minutes, and we would've lost him to bloodloss…"

Astrid released her axe and brought her knuckles up to her mouth, choking back the inhuman squeak that threatened to escape her. "But...but what...what about now? Gobber, is he okay?"

"No, he's not," said Gobber. "He's still unconscious, and he's not waking up, no matter what Gothi does, no matter what herbs she shoves down his throat...we're sending in a healer from the mainlands...they might have a better idea of what to do…"

"But there has to be something," said Astrid, pleadingly, desperately, because she was scared. "Gobber, there has to be something-"

"We're doing all we can for him, lass," said Gobber. "Stoick's with him now, and Toothless...I doubt either of them will be leaving his side for a while…"

"Can I see him?" said Astrid. Gobber looked down sadly. "Please, Gobber...I have to see him. The last time I saw him, he was...he was…"

"Lass, believe me," said Gobber, and he rested his hand on her shoulder heavily. "You don't want to see him right now…"

"Why not?" Astrid snapped, angry because she was afraid.

"Because, Astrid," said Gobber slowly. "It...it would break your heart."

Astrid swallowed thickly and looked down at her feet. She didn't know what to say to that. She looked down and lifted her axe off the ground and onto its strap over her back.

"If there's any improvement at all," said Gobber, "I promise you'll be the first to know."

Astrid nodded, though the movement was so small it could hardly be called a nod at all. "Thank you, Gobber," she said thickly, and before Gobber could say anything else, she whistled to Stormfly, mounted her Nadder's back, and shot into the sky.

All the Berkian ships were moored to the shores of Dragon's Edge, and soldiers moved back and forth, repairing the damage done to the Edge when the riders mimicked an attack on it. Astrid soared downwards, where the dragon riders were working together to lift a large crate onto the shore.

"Astrid!" called Fishlegs, the first of the riders to see her. Astrid jerked her head towards the ground, and as soon as the crate had been lowered, Snotlout, Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut landed their dragons and dismounted.

"What's the word on Hiccup?" asked Fishlegs, his voice full of unmasked concern. "How's he doing?"

"Not good," said Astrid, and she looked at the ground, which she had done a lot recently. "Toothless, Gothi, and his father are with him right now...Gobber said they're bringing a mainland healer here."

"Why?" said the twins in unison, and they also sounded very concerned, as strange as it was, coming from them.

"Because Gothi's at a loss, I guess," said Astrid.

"Gothi, at a loss?" gasped Fishlegs. "How? She's the best healer _ever_...how can she be at a loss? If...if _she_ doesn't know what to do, then...then...it must be...it must be really bad…"

For once, Fishlegs wasn't reprimanded or corrected for being the voice of doom. As soon as the riders heard of Viggo's attack on Hiccup, they had busied themselves in any task they could, trying desperately to keep their minds off it.

Just as Astrid had done, pacing in front of the house, waiting for any news…

Snotlout suddenly screeched in fury, drew his sword, and threw it straight at the tree behind him. Hookfang had to duck to avoid getting his head sliced.

"I SWEAR," said Snotlout angrily, "IF I SEE VIGGO AGAIN, I'LL...I'LL...I'LL KILL HIM! I'LL MAKE HIM PAY!"

Astrid agreed with Snotlout, but she didn't say this openly. Instead, she turned and mounted Stormfly wordlessly.

"Astrid, where are you going?" said Fishlegs instantly, and he sounded concerned, once again.

"I'm going to the dungeons," said Astrid. "I have a few choice words for Viggo's soldiers."

And Stormfly took to the sky before anyone, even Astrid, could say anything.

…

Astrid landed Stormfly in front of the dungeons; normally, they weren't dungeons. They were where they kept their dragons at night, but they still worked effectively as a dungeon, especially for the ten of Viggo's soldiers who hadn't followed their leader when he fled.

Astrid leapt off Stormfly's back, told her dragon to wait where she was, and stormed into the dungeons, axe drawn.

They divided the soldiers, each into their own cell, so that in order to plot escape or revenge, they would have to shout to each other, and thereby, would be heard by either one of the dragon riders, or one of the Berkian soldiers, who checked the dungeons periodically. Astrid raced to the first cell and swung her axe out in front of her; the soldier in the cell jumped, but didn't release his glaring expression.

"What is Viggo planning?" Astrid growled. She was nearly out of patience. She was scared. She was hysteric. She couldn't think properly to save her life. All she knew was that Viggo hurt Hiccup, and Viggo's men were going to tell Astrid why.

The soldier spat and crossed his arms. Astrid glared at him harshly, and then moved to the next cell. This soldier looked a little less confident; he must have been one of the ones Astrid had taken out, when they came looking for her at her hut.

"Now then," she said casually. "Tell me. What is Viggo planning?"

The soldier shook his head feverishly and feebly. Astrid, with a growl of fury, released her axe, reached her arms into the bars, grabbed the soldier by the front of his shirt, and pulled him towards her, staring right into his eyes.

"Viggo hurt someone that I care about," snarled Astrid, "and no one is allowed to do that. Viggo attacked us, sent you and your goons to kill us...but you hurt Hiccup. You can break me, hurt me, _kill_ me, but Hiccup is off-limits. Do you understand?"

She thought of raising her hands to clasp the soldier's throat; strangling him would get him to talk, wouldn't it?

"TELL ME," she finally screamed, shaking the soldier back and forth harshly, "WHAT VIGGO WANTS! _NOW!"_

The soldier gasped heavily and screamed in one breath, "HICCUP POSED AS A THREAT TO HIM, SO VIGGO DEVISED A PLAN TO TAKE HIM OUT OF THE PICTURE! THE CHANGEWINGS WERE A DISTRACTION TO KEEP YOUR MINDS OFF EVERYTHING ELSE! WE WERE SUPPOSED TO DISTRACT YOU AND YOUR RIDERS WHILE VIGGO KILLED HICCUP!"

Astrid flung the soldier back again so that he hit the wall with a muffled _"Oomph!"_ Then, she hauled her axe back onto her shoulder and turned away.

"AND IF ANY OF YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD," said Astrid threateningly, and she swung her axe back at the cells, "I'LL BE BACK LATER! THIS TIME, DON'T TRY MY PATIENCE!"

And she mounted Stormfly and left, leaving the soldiers covering in their cells. She would get back to them later.

…

Viggo and his men sailed out on their ships, taking cover behind nearby sea stacks. The men were covered from head to toe in mail and armor, and they had weapons strapped to their belts as well as their backs. All of Viggo's warships were there, every single one of them, and they were all ready for war.

"So, Viggo," said Dagur the Deranged, coming up behind the leader of the ships, clapping his hands together. "I have to say, your plan on taking out Hiccup? It was great and everything, but...well, see, there might be a bit of a problem with that…"

Viggo turned to look at Dagur coolly, keeping his face as pleasant as possible. "Whatever do you mean, Dagur?" said Viggo.

"Well, I don't know," said Dagur, tapping his chin in mock thought, "I was just thinking...HICCUP WAS MY ENEMY!" Dagur shouted angrily, right into Viggo's face. "I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONE TO KILL HIM! IT WAS ALWAYS SUPPOSED TO BE _ME!"_

"Oh, don't be such a spoiled sport, Dagur," said Viggo sharply. "The boy was my enemy as well as your own, and what does it matter? He is dead now. We mustn't consider the past any longer. Now, we must prepare for the future. War."

Dagur turned away. The Berserker armada was sailing, a few hundred yards away from Viggo's ships, just in sight. Dagur looked back at Viggo and put his hands together.

"You might have a point," said Dagur, "but how's about letting me rent a boat so I can go talk to my men? Give them a little 'pep talk' before the war begins, hmm?" He punched his fist into his palm for emphasis.

Viggo waved his hand and sighed. "Be my guest, Dagur," he said, and Dagur, grinning madly, hurried off.

He rowed the only rowboat available back to his Berserker ships, and he was hauled on-board instantly by a rope thrown down by his men. He leapt onto the decks of the ship and straightened his chest armor.

"Sire!" said Savage, the ex-Outcast, and he bowed lowly. "T-To what do we owe this pleasure? I thought we decided you were to stay with Viggo until we reached the Berkian ships-"

"Times change," snapped Dagur, drawing his axe and holding it out dangerously close to Savage. "Now listen up, Savage, or you'll part company with your head."

Savage gulped. "I'm all ears!" he said nervously, putting up his hands.

"Tell the crew," said Dagur, " _all_ of the crew, that we are no longer working with Viggo. If Viggo isn't going to let me have my way of things, I don't want to be a part of anything he's doing. Tell the crew to wait and keep it a secret until we reach the Berkian fleet. Then, when they least expect it-"

"We'll attack them, sire?"

"DON'T INTERRUPT! Yes...we'll attack them...ARGH, YOU SPOILED MY MOMENT!" He swung his axe in fury, and Savage ducked just in time. "ALERT THE CREW, _NOW!"_

Savage ran so fast he nearly tripped over himself a hundred times. Dagur looked back on the horizon, in the direction of the Edge. He didn't know what it was, but he had the feeling that Hiccup wasn't really dead at all…

Dagur looked down at his axe, still in his hand, and grinned.

If Hiccup was alive, Dagur was going to kill him.

After he took out Viggo, of course.


	2. Chapter 2

**Meeeeeh. I'm a lazy bum. XD So, I've been busy (obviously or else you'd probably have five+ chapters to read, LOL! :D), but I did learn a five-minute piano song called "Memory" from the musical "Cats", so that's cool. I've been working on perfecting "Forbidden Friendship", "Romantic Flight", and "Flying with Mother", too, so that's cool...and of course...school...**

 **ENOUGH SAID! :D Shout-outs:**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: You make a good point, but it's hard to tell whether Viggo will figure out about Dagur or not. Dagur's so paranoid, and Viggo's known him for a while, whereas the first time he saw Heather, he'd never seen her before. Dagur's so deranged it's hard to tell what he's thinking. XD And yeah, Viggo deserves to die big time...:)**

 **TheInkSplotches: Yeah, you're right, Drago and Viggo are actually threats to Hiccup, whereas Dagur and Alvin are just sorta...I don't know...like you said, stereotypical villains. There's nothing wrong with Dagur or Alvin, of course, they're just not as good as Viggo or Dagur. :D Viggo is CREEEEEEPY, and so is Drago. Dagur and Alvin were always kind of predictable. :D**

 **ShadowSpirit020: DIE VIGGO! GO ASTRID! DON'T DIE HICCUP! :D**

 **HappyPup1: I never thought I'd say this, but YAY DAGUR! :D**

 **Jo: Yeah...and yeah, go Astrid, scaring the living CRAP out of those dragon hunters! She's amazing, Astrid is...:) And yeah, Dagur rebelling against Viggo, FINALLY! :D :D :D Poor Hiccup! :(**

 **Iris Patton: Well, I didn't make two updates in the same day, but here's the next update. :)**

 **1 Fan: Thanks! :D**

 **AquaticDragon: Haha, thanks! :D I'm glad you're enjoying it (I need to think of a word to use other than "glad", glad's becoming tedious. XD). That's a thought! I'm still deciding who to kill...*descreetly hides chainsaw behind back*...but that's definitely a thought! :D**

 **Charr2003: Let's see...who to kill...? XD And I LOVE Hiccstrid! I don't know, it could just be me, but I want Hiccup to get hurt for a change in Race to the Edge, just so we can SEE how the other riders actually react to him being seriously wounded. Maybe I'm just crazy...and yeah, angry Astrid, go tell those prisoners who's boss! :D**

 **Artwing7: Thanks! :D**

 **Dimentional Phaser: LOTS OF CRAZY STUFF GOING ON, YEAH. :D**

 **midnightsky0612: Hence the name of the fic. :D**

 **Guest (#1): Thanks! :D**

 **StarFlight13: Ooooh, yes, HICCSTRID! :D On the social medias, a lot of people have been getting angry because "the Hiccstrid isn't good enough" but really, the Hiccstrid is growing BIG TIME. Like when Astrid asked Hiccup in "Maces and Talons part 1" if he was okay, and Hiccup at first said "yes", but then he told her everything, and like you said, just the fact that they're getting more and more comfortable around each other, worrying for each other, caring for each other, making sure the other is safe...it's perfect! :D And as for your Trilogy question: I'm going to act like it's a season to Race to the Edge, and go up to thirteen "episodes" (8-chapter fanfics). SITC was episode 1, TWP1 was episode 2, and TWP2 is episode 3. I'm going to try and go up to thirteen! :D :D :D**

 **Carly Marley: Haha, yeah! I think the word "HICCSTRID" will make any fan who loves Hiccup and Astrid snap to attention. XD**

 **MissPitchPerfect25: I have updated! :D**

 **SnivyDragon: OOOH, yes! That's one of the reasons I want to see Hiccup hurt so badly in the series, because I think ALL the riders would go a little "you-hurt-my-friend-now-you-must-die" kind of thing, because I don't think they actually see each other as "friends". They're more of a big family. Soooo, yeah. RAGE. FEEL THE RAGE! :D That's a good idea, too, by the way, what you suggested! A lot of people have been wanting me to do that, the sort of "Hiccup and the enemy must work together ro survive" type of thing, so I think I'll do it. :D**

 **Sofia: THE FEEEEELLLLSSSIIIEESSSS ARE RRREEAAALLLSSSIIIEEESSSS! :D Thanks a bunch! :D I always smile like an idiot whenever I get reviews, and I don't even know how to thank anyone for their reviews properly. XD So thank you! :D And yeah, I don't think Hiccup will ever actually be STABBED in RttE, but I'm still hoping for some sort of Hiccup injury, if just to see the way the other riders react! :D And I know, right? I'm in highschool, and yet, my mind is always short-circuiting, like, "Dragons, dragons, dragons..." XD NO SHAME in loving the HTTYD franchise! NO SHAME AT ALL! :D :D :D :D :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: We ALL want Dagur to live NOW, because he's going against Viggo! :D :D :D Yeah, but Viggo...*sharpens axe***

 **Guest (#2): Not a bad idea! I'll think about it! :D**

 **Draposs: Thanks! :D And yeah, poor Hiccup...seriously though, EVERYONE wants to kill Hiccup. I just imagine at this point, whenever Hiccup meets another villain who wants to kill him, he just signs to himself and thinks, "Okay, get in line behind Dagur, Ryker, Viggo, Drago, and everyone else..." XD And yeah, TRAITOR! :D GO DAGUR! (Never thought I'd actually say that...)**

 **OechsnerC: Good idea! :D**

* * *

"You mean Viggo had it planned the entire time?" gasped Fishlegs in horror; he and the other riders were camped at the Clubhouse, and Astrid had recounted everything the guards had told her when she interrogated him.

Astrid nodded. "Yes," she said. "The entire Changewing attack, Eyelicker getting wounded...it was all a trick, all a distraction to keep us preoccupied, to keep us from trying to figure out why Viggo was attacking in the first place."

Eyelicker and the other seven Changewings of the pack were snoring, laid in a heap, in the corner of the Clubhouse, right beside the map nailed to the wall.

"You mean...Viggo hurt Eyelicker for no reason?" said Fishlegs, looking down. "And he...he knew the Changewings would attack us...but for no reason?"

"There was a reason," said Astrid, "and the reason was...keeping Hiccup and us busy so we wouldn't try and think it through. So we'd be worried about the Changewings more than the bigger picture."

At the mention of Hiccup, all heads went down to the floor, including Astrid's, and her voice dropped an octave. Astrid had been trying to keep her mind off what had happened, but it wasn't working. Hiccup...her mind kept going back to him…

"Viggo's men were prepared for the Changewings," said Fishlegs suddenly, obviously trying to get the subject as far away from Hiccup as possible. "I found the sedation darts in their legs when Meatlug and I looked for them in the forest."

"You mean...everything... _everything_...was a distraction?" said Snotlout. "Everything we went through to keep the Changewings out, to make the Edge look like it'd been attacked...it didn't mean _anything?"_

"Viggo came here to murder Hiccup," said Astrid. "That was his plan. But…"

"But obviously, the plan didn't work," said Fishlegs, "because Hiccup isn't dead."

"But how could we have missed that!?" shouted Snotlout angrily, leaping to his feet in fury. "It was so _obvious!_ Hiccup beat Viggo the last time they fought, it only makes _sense_ Viggo would want to kill him! How did we miss it? How did _Hiccup_ miss it!? He would _never_ miss something that _obvious!"_

"I don't think he missed it, Snotlout," said Astrid quietly.

All eyes instantly turned to her, all full of confusion.

"What do you mean?" said Ruffnut quietly; ever since the attack, the twins had become surprisingly quiet, as if all motivation for talking had been sucked out of their systems.

"I think Hiccup knew Viggo wanted to kill him," said Astrid, "or, at least, he thought about it once. You're right, it is obvious...Hiccup wouldn't have missed something like that-"

"But why didn't he tell us?" said Tuffnut. "We could have helped protect him...Ruffnut and I would've rigged the entire _Edge_ to keep Viggo away…"

"I think that's why he didn't say anything," said Astrid. "I...I don't think he _wanted_ us to protect him. Because...because…"

"Because he didn't want us to put ourselves between him," said Fishlegs quietly, as though smacked upside the head with sudden realization, "and Viggo. He knew that if Viggo was really coming to kill him, Viggo wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who stood in his way…"

"Oh Thor…" whispered Snotlout. "He knew…Hiccup knew it all along..."

Tuffnut sniffled and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. "That's just the stupid noble thing Hiccup would do," he said. "Almost as stupid as something we would do, only noble…"

Astrid rose to her feet and headed towards the door. Before she left, Fishlegs called out, "Where are you going now, Astrid?"

"I'm going to see Hiccup," said Astrid quickly.

"I tried earlier," said Fishlegs, "but Gobber said I shouldn't...that Hiccup needed to rest-"

"I'm not going to wake him," said Astrid. "But I need to see him. I...I...I need to."

The riders looked at each other; they, clearly, also wanted to see Hiccup, but were afraid of exactly _what_ they would see.

"Look," said Astrid, "you didn't see the wound. You weren't the ones who screamed for help and tried to stop the bleeding. You didn't see what I saw. You didn't watch him pass out. I thought he was dead, and I haven't seen him since. I have to see-"

"We get it, Astrid, we get it," said Snotlout, and for the first time, he sounded compassionate, caring, kind… "Just...go see him. It'll...it'll probably make him feel better, anyways, having you with him...or whatever…"

Astrid nodded wordlessly, turned, and headed off, for the first time in a while leaving Stormfly behind. She turned the corner and stopped right in front of Hiccup's hut, fearing what awaited her inside.

Just before she could lift the hatch to step inside, the hatch was opened, and Astrid pulled back her hand as Stoick stepped out of the hut, looking as grave as Gobber, though his eyes were red.

"Oh, Astrid…" said Stoick shortly. "I thought you might show up."

"Where are you going, Stoick?" asked Astrid, trying desperately not to peer through the open door...she didn't think she was ready to see what was inside just yet.

"To ready the men," said Stoick, and he straightened, his voice suddenly gruff. "Viggo proclaimed war on us when he did this, and if it's war he wants, it's war he'll get."

Astrid swallowed. "I agree, sir," she said. "C-could I...could I…" She gestured helplessly at the open hatch.

"Yes," said Stoick. "Gothi's still in there, but let her know I cleared you...she's really not letting anyone else in right now. The only reason she hasn't kicked Toothless out is because that dragon would have her head…"

"I will, Stoick," said Astrid heavily, and, without hesitating a moment longer, she headed inside and pulled the hatch shut behind her silently.

The first thing she heard was a low growl, and when she looked towards the source of the sound, she saw Toothless, teeth bared, eyes narrowed in her direction. He was standing in front of the bed, almost protectively, as if he were expecting Viggo to walk through the door…

"It's just me, Toothless," said Astrid calmly, holding out her hands as she stepped into the light cast by sunlight streaming through the window. "Just me. It's alright."

Toothless sheathed his teeth and stepped back to let her pass, and what she saw made her feel even worse.

"Oh Hiccup," she whispered quickly, and she hurried over to the bedside, crashed to her knees, and brushed back his bangs to press her hand firmly against his forehead. He was either warm because of the numerous blankets piled on top of him, or he had a fever.

Gobber was right - now that Astrid saw him, she felt worse than she had ever felt before. He was so pale he was almost white, and his eyes were shut, his chest rising and falling deeply...if Astrid hadn't known better, and if he hadn't been so pale, she would've said he was just sleeping, and not unconscious.

But of course, she knew better.

There was a sudden _tap, tap_ , against the ground, and Astrid peeled her eyes away from Hiccup long enough to look at Gothi, who had tapped her staff against the ground to get Astrid's attention. The village elder looked both worried and annoyed; no doubt worried for Hiccup and annoyed that Astrid had barged in.

"Stoick said I could," said Astrid instantly. "I couldn't leave him alone...you have to understand that."

Gothi's eyes softened, and she sighed. She turned towards the entrance of the hut and headed out; she had obviously decided to give Hiccup and Astrid some time alone.

Toothless bumped Astrid's arm and cooed sadly, staring at Hiccup with eyes like that of a hurt, lost puppy. Astrid leaned her forehead against Toothless' head and sighed heavily; Toothless needed as much comfort as she did.

"I know, Toothless," she said, and her voice was choked, as though she had been strangled. "I know...it's...it's hard to see him like this, isn't it?"

Toothless growled sadly.

"I know...I know...but he'll be okay. They're bringing a healer from the mainlands...he'll be fine, Toothless, I know he will...he has to be…" She looked back down at Hiccup, feeling as though she'd been stabbed in the gut.

"I should never have left him, Toothless," Astrid whispered, wiping furiously at her eyes with the backs of her hands. "I n-never should have let him alone. I should have known Viggo would come for him...I should've...I should've prevented it...it's all my fault…it's all my fault, Toothless..."

And she started crying. She couldn't help it anymore. She buried her face in her hands and cried harder than she had cried in a long time, harder than she would ever cry in front of Stoick, or the other dragon riders.

Toothless cooed at her worriedly and nudged her as if trying to figure out what had happened, or what was wrong, but Astrid couldn't stop no matter how hard she tried. Maybe it really _was_ her fault. Maybe, if she could've only been smarter, quicker, she could have stopped Viggo…

"Please, H-Hiccup," she stammered between her sobs. "P-Please wake up, please...I-I don't k-know what I'd do without you...p-please…"

She brought her knees to her chest, hugged them, and tried to get ahold of herself. But then, just before she stopped crying, a voice broke the silence - a voice she recognized, despite how weak and cracked it was.

"Ast...Ast-trid?"

Astrid jerked her head up instantly. "Hiccup?"

* * *

 ** _OKAY, ALL! LISTEN UP! :D :D :D_ **

**I did some research on stab-wounds (okay, not some - like, I spent an hour and a half researching them on thirty different websites), and have reached a verdict! But I'm not going to tell you what that verdict is, of course, because, well...*River Song's voice* Sppoooiiilllerrrrrsss! :D**

 **But please, _LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU WANT._ I don't think I'm going to spend a whole lot of time with Hiccup, since this fic is a bit more about the war against Viggo and such, but in the sequel to this (it won't be called Total War Part 3; I'll let you know what it'll be called when the time comes), there will be more Hiccstrid and Father/Son feels and what not. **

**SO DON'T BE DISAPPOINTED IF THOSE FEELSIE ELEMENTS ARE LACKING IN THIS FIC, ALRIGHT? :D And let me know what you want more of: Hiccstrid, father/son, or Toothless/Hiccup bonding.**

 **Go on ahead! Don't be shy! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

***looks around***

 **Did I do it?**

 ***looks down***

 **YES! TWO UPDATES TODAY! WHOOP WHOOP! :D :D :D I DID IT! :D Hahahahahaha, oh, I'm a lost cause. LOL! :D Shout-outs:**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Yep. You're all going to have to wait and see the plan I have up my sleeve, heh heh heh...and yeah, I think the only person Astrid wouldn't punch for hugging her is Hiccup. Everyone else, beware. :)**

 **BrokenSky49: I love father/son bonding! :D I'll do my best to make some of that for sure! :D And thanks! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Dagur's pretty cool for a villain. :D I think he's cool. I really don't know what I want to happen to him yet...XD**

 **ShadowSpirit020: YES! HE WAKES! :D And yeah, FEED VIGGO TO THE SCREAMING DEATH, ASTRID! MAKE HIM PAY!**

 **Guest (#1): Father/son! :D**

 **HappyPup1: Yay Hiccup! :D**

 **Artwing7: I love Hiccup and Toothless bonding! :D If I don't do more Hiccup and Toothless in this fic, I'll definitely do it in another one. :D**

 **MissPitchPerfect25: Agreed! :D Thanks! :D And I think Hiccstrid has been a couple for a while now, but later I think I'm going to do a scene in a fanfic where Hiccup asks Astrid to be his official girlfriend, so...yeah. That might be happening! :D**

 **1 Fan: Thanks! :D I'm probably having too much fun writing them. :D**

 **Charr2003: GO HICCSTRID! :D And yeah, Whoovian referance...well, I'm a Whoovian! :D :D :D But we really should be called "Whooligans." XD Thanks! :D Oh, and why are fangirls so odd? Because we can't even! :D :D :D HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *dies laughing***

 **AquaticDragon: Aww, thanks! :D And Hiccup/Toothless bonding is AWESOME! :D You don't have to be a Hiccstrid fan. No worries. :D But I do love Hiccstrid, so there'll probably be quite a bit of Hiccstrid in here, and some Toothless/Hiccup bonding as well. :D Thanks! :D**

 **Guest (#2): I'm going to try and update "Stay With Me" either tomorrow or the next day; it's really just a matter of deciding what I want to do with the chapter. After that, writing it's easy. :D**

 **Jo: Seriously though, he needs to stop all his acts of heroics before he gets himself killed for real. o_O**

 **Dimentional Phaser: Ain't no such thing as too much Hiccup/Toothless bonding. :D**

 **RainDragon28: Yes, it is all very sad. *sobs***

 **HeartAngel1796: Got that right. :D Thanks! :D**

 **AnimeAngel: VIGGO MUST PAY! DIE, VIGGO, DIE! :D Father/son Hiccup/Toothless for the WIN. :D**

 **SnivyDragon: It's so hard to decide which feelsie element to write about, so I think throughout these 13 "episodes", I'll try and cover it all. :D And yeah. You just summed up the riders perfectly. XD**

 **Prince Maggie: Haha, thanks so much! :D I'm glad you're enjoying it! I think my favorite time to write in is during the RttE series, so I'm having a lot of fun with this. :D Thanks! :D**

* * *

"Ready the ships!" said Stoick, shouting to get his voice to carry to his entire fleet of men. "We head out as soon as they're ready and make for Viggo's base!"

The men saluted and began preparing themselves. Stoick watched them skeptically, barking an unnecessary order when he thought of his son…

Ooooh, Viggo was going to _pay_ for what he did...when Stoick was through with him, Viggo was going to wish he had never been born…

"Stoick, what are we doing?" Gobber's voice broke Stoick out of his thoughts, and Stoick turned, watching as his friend hobbled up towards him, eyes curious and sad both at once.

"We're laying siege to Viggo's base," said Stoick sharply. "I don't care if we beat his entire army or not, but Viggo is dying. I will make sure of that."

"Stoick, are you sure that's a good idea?" said Gobber. "Don't you think maybe you should...I dunno...stay with Hiccup? You've seen him, Stoick, you know he isn't doing well."

"I know, Gobber," said Stoick harshly, because _how in the world could Gobber think he didn't know!?_ "But when Viggo learns Hiccup is still alive, he's going to try again, and again, until Hiccup is dead, and as long as I'm here, I'm not going to let that...that...treacherous fiend near my son."

"Stoick-"

"My answer is final, Gobber-"

"STOICK!" Gobber finally shouted, and he grasped Stoick's shoulder and shook him slightly. "Listen. You have more priority as a father than you could ever have as an avenger. You know Hiccup. You know he doesn't want to be protected, and he doesn't want to be avenged. Hiccup...he'll be twenty in February, Stoick...but don't think for a second he's stopped needing you."

Stoick looked down. He knew Gobber was right, but he didn't want to admit it; not openly, anyways, because admitting it meant that revenge on Viggo would wait, and Stoick didn't want to wait, he wanted to find Viggo and wring his son-stabbing little throat-

"Hiccup needs his father more than he needs vengance, Stoick," said Gobber softly.

"You're right...of course you're right...I'll ready the men," said Stoick, "and send them out, but I'll stay here myself, with Hiccup."

"I think," said Gobber, "that is definitely the right thing to do."

Stoick turned back to his men, hollered for one to come over, and said, "When you find Viggo, bring him to me, alive! I want the pleasure of finishing him off."

The soldier snapped to attention, saluted obediently, and hurried off to do as he had been commanded.

…

"Hiccup…? Hiccup!"

And as it turned out, he _was_ awake; she hadn't just simply been hearing things. He was looking at her, his eyes half-closed dazed, but they were open. That was all that mattered.

Astrid stood and sat on the edge of the bed, and she brushed Hiccup's hair away from his eyes, so he could see her more clearly, and she could see him. "Oh, Hiccup, thank Thor," said Astrid, weak with relief. It took all that was in her not to simply throw herself at him and hug him and never let go. "Thank Thor, thank Thor, Hiccup, oh gods-"

She thought about kissing him, but when she noticed how labored his breathing was, she settled for a kiss on his forehead. "Are you okay?" Astrid asked, hoping her concern wasn't as evident as she sounded. "Hiccup, how do you feel?"

Hiccup swallowed and spoke; it sounded like hard work. "Spec...spectacular…" he murmured. "But...you…" He raised his hand weakly and brushed his fingers against her cheek. "You look...look like you've been...crying...is s-something wrong?"

Astrid laughed, slightly hysteric, and took Hiccup's raised hand in her own. "I'm okay," she said. "I'm okay now."

Astrid was instantly bumped out of the way momentarily - though she did keep a rather firm grip on Hiccup's limp hand - by Toothless, who instantly started licking Hiccup's face, growling happily, looking as though he would send a celebratory plasma blast straight through the roof. Hiccup laughed and coughed weakly.

"H-hey, Toothless…" he croaked. "I'm...I'm...glad you're a-alright…"

Toothless moved out of the way, just slightly, to allow Astrid back her spot, and Astrid took back her position at the edge of the bed, her hold on Hiccup's hand never loosening.

"Does it hurt?" Astrid asked faintly, squeezing his hand, wishing silently for him to squeeze it back. "Are you okay? We've all been so worried about you…"

Hiccup swallowed again. "Sor...sorry…"

"No, no, don't apologize," said Astrid, shaking her head. "Don't. I didn't mean it like that, it's just...just...we were all so…"

She didn't have the chance to say anything else, because Gothi had raced back into the room as soon as she heard Hiccup speak, almost as though she had been eavesdropping. Gothi hobbled over to the bedside with surprising speed, set her staff to the side, and examined Hiccup, starting with his eyes. She stared into his eyes, and he stared back, confused, and she pulled away briefly, felt his forehead, and tapped her chin.

"Is everything alright?" Astrid asked, hoping she didn't come out sounding as worried as she felt.

Gothi waved her hand, which could have meant anything, and scribbled out on the ground in the sand. Astrid looked at the runes; Toothless growled at them in question.

"So...w-what's up?" Hiccup finally managed, sounding loads weaker than he had a moment ago.

"She says your eyes are clear," said Astrid, translating, "which is a good thing...but she still thinks you might be getting a fever...which is why we're sending for a healer from the mainlands, just as far as preventing infection goes…"

"From...from the mainlands…?"

"Yeah," said Astrid, and she moved away from the runes to sit by Hiccup's head. She took his hand casually again and sighed. "But she says as long as you stay hydrated and don't pull your stitches out, she might be able to treat you herself, without another healer…"

Astrid subconsciously set her free hand on Hiccup's forehead; yes, he felt warmer than he had before, but only slightly. Hiccup stared at her hand, blinking rapidly, and then, he shut his eyes all together with a small sigh.

"You can rest, Hiccup," said Astrid. "We're not going anywhere. The riders are safe, your dad was here a minute ago, I'm sure he'll be back soon…"

Hiccup moved his head slightly in what could have been a half-hearted, exhausted nod. "You'll...you'll stay?" he whispered breathlessly.

"Of course," said Astrid, and she smiled. "Of course I will...we'll look after you, won't we, Toothless?" Toothless nodded and bumped Hiccup's arm in agreement. "Yeah. We've got it covered."

"M's-sure you do...you a-always do...and...I-I know I said…spectacular...but I'm really not...feeling so good…"

"I know you're not," said Astrid, "which is why you should rest. We'll be here when you wake up. We promise."

Hiccup smiled without opening his eyes, squeezed her hand briefly, and then, his posture slackened, his hand went limp, and he was sleeping. Not unconscious: actually sleeping healthily, normally, and it was then Astrid decided that he would be okay.

There would be bumps along the road for sure…

But he would be okay. He just _had_ to be, because she didn't know what she would do if he wasn't…

"Gothi," said Astrid, "how big of a chance does he have? And don't give me a half-truth, or sugar-coat anything. I want to know."

Gothi looked at her (it was impossible to tell what the elder was feeling through her expression), leveled the sand already spread on the ground with her foot, and wrote once again. Astrid read the runes out loud to herself and Toothless, who was eagerly looking over her shoulder, awaiting answers.

"She says the dagger didn't hit any of his primary organs, and as long as it doesn't get infected," Astrid read, "he has a good chance. The things we have to think about are bloodloss, and fever. He can't be out of bed for a month - or two months to be safe - and nothing at all strenuous until then."

Astrid looked at Toothless, and then back at Gothi. "I expected it to be worse," said Astrid, once again feeling lightheaded with blissful relief.

Gothi scribbled some more.

"Oh, you _were_ expecting it to be worse," said Astrid after reading it over. "You thought he wouldn't wake up as soon as that, that he'd get dehydrated and lose more weight than he could afford before we could help him…"

Astrid looked back at Hiccup, sleeping soundly, Toothless' tail draped protectively over his legs.

"But he's stronger than he looks," said Astrid, and this time, she smiled, if faintly. "He's proved it again."

…

"Is Dagur still aboard the Berserker ships?" asked Viggo to Ryker as their ships cut through the water, towards Dragon's Edge.

"Aye, he is," said Ryker, nodding.

"Have him come here," said Viggo, waving his hand as if to confirm his order was valid. "I would like him to join me for a quick game."

"We're in the middle of a war, Viggo," snapped Ryker, "and you're thinking of a game-"

"The way I see it," said Viggo, "the Berkians are outnumbered. Hiccup's dragon riders may have an army behind them, but there are two armies sailing against them, and that is our army, and the Berserker army. We have nothing to fear. Losing is not an option. Send for Dagur so that we may practice our skills in a game of Maces and Talons. Dagur and his men must be sharper than ever. Sharper than you ever were."

Ryker bared his teeth and growled through them, more like a dragon than a man. "Dagur and his men will never be sharp," he argued.

"And yet," said Viggo, "you do not deny that they are sharp _er_ than you. Send for Dagur. I will not repeat myself again."

Ryker growled, but, as he always did, obeyed nonetheless.

…

Three armies sailed towards each other, each one out for blood.

The Berkians were sailing under good intentions, and more specifically, under the orders of their Chief. And even if they hadn't been under Stoick the Vast's _vast_ influence, they would have been sailing to war regardless, for Viggo had wounded Hiccup, and no one - _no one_ \- was allowed to do that. Every Berkian who lived today were under life-debt to Hiccup; they had never told Hiccup this, of course, but it was true.

Hiccup had saved them from the dragons; Hiccup had brought peace to the lands. And Viggo had hurt him, and they would hunt Viggo until Viggo was dead. They would bring Viggo to Stoick, as Stoick had commanded of them, and watch Stoick finish him off forever.

The second army wasn't so; the opposing side, Viggo and his dragon hunters, were out to kill without reason, were out to fight the battle they themselves had created. They were out to kill, and Viggo was leading them, though this time, he was going to make sure to keep himself protected; burly soldiers stood at either of his sides, and they would act as Viggo's bodyguards.

Viggo was the thinker of the group; without him, the fight was pointless.

But there was a third army, battling between sides. Dagur the Deranged and his armada of Berserkers sailed behind Viggo's ships, silently scheming how they would overthrow Viggo and the Berkians both at once. But Dagur's main target, for now, was Viggo; he could always regroup and defeat the Berkians some other time, but right now, he wanted to deal with Viggo. Viggo, who had killed the prize Dagur had been hunting for months. Viggo, who bossed Dagur around like he was a slave. Viggo, who told Dagur never to think, that he was smart enough for them all.

Three armies sailed towards each other, each one out for blood.

But whose blood would be spilled?


	4. Chapter 4

***facepalms* I actually meant to post this earlier, but then I had some problem with my computer, so I had to get that fixed, which took a while, and then, blah blah blah, insert excuses here, no one wants to hear them, yadda...XD Haha, I love you guys! :D Shout-outs:**

 **StarFlight13: I think out of all the ships I sail, Hiccstrid has to be at the top. XD**

 **1 Fan: Yep! I love to update! :D**

 **AquaticDragon: Thanks! :D**

 **Jo: Lots and lots of feeeelllssiiieessss! And yeah, poor Hiccup...I feel so bad for him. :(**

 **Artwing7: "For once, everyone lives!" :D**

 **Midnight510: Yeah, "ready the ships..." "I understood that reference!" XD**

 **midnightsky0612: Die, Viggo. :D**

 **wikelia: Let's hope not! :)**

 **Crystallion12: Viggo deserves SO MUCH more than just "death." Death is too good for a guy like him. I like your method: interrogate him, BURN HIM, DIE, VIGGO, DIE! :D And yeah, I'm glad to be back! I missed writing fanfictions, and I missed all of the Dragonites, too! :D Thanks! It's good to be back! :D Highschool: the workout that never seems to end. XD**

 **AnimeAngel: EPIC BATTLE! :D BATTLES, YES! I love writing battle scenes, so chances are, you guys will get a long one! :D**

 **SnivyDragon: Feeeeeeeeeeels! :D And yep, ain't no one allowed to hurt Hiccup without Stoick landing them in near-death if not death itself! Go Berkians! Die, Viggo! :D**

* * *

"Dagur wants a word with you on his ship, Dagur," snapped Ryker; he hated his new position. _Messenger_. Who did Viggo think he was, sending he, Ryker, to tell Dagur of Viggo's demands, instead of sending one of the lowlier members of the crew? Honestly, the _nerve…_

Dagur grinned at Ryker and put his hands together. "What would Viggo want a word with _me_ for?" he said madly, rubbing his palms together. "Are we still on for the fight, or do we have a chance in plans?"

"He wants to _play_ a game with you," said Ryker as if the words were toxic.

"Oh." Dagur looked disappointed. " _That_ game." He sighed heavily, more of a groan. " _Whatever!"_ he said in a sing-song voice, and within moments of sailing on the ship Ryker had brought over for the occasion, they arrived on Viggo's ship and headed below decks, where Viggo awaited, the Maces and Talons board set.

"If you think I'm playing this _stupid_ game again," snapped Dagur as soon as he saw Viggo, "you're _wrong-"_

"Why?" said Viggo pleasantly. "Do you fear you will lose to me, Dagur?"

"No!" said Dagur, crossing his arms. "I just...don't see the point of playing a game while we have a war to prepare for! I'm _trying_ to give my men a talking to, to get them ready, but I can't even get _twenty minutes of peace_ before you're yapping at me to get back here!"

Viggo rose to his feet. "This is why we must play," said Viggo, "so you can remember your place among us. You must battle me so you can understand who the thinker should be, so you understand why you do not have a bigger role in our army. Do you understand, Dagur?"

Dagur crossed his arms even tighter, though he smiled innocently. "Clear as the skies," he said, and then, he turned and left.

If he had doubted his plan before, he didn't doubt it now.

Viggo was going _down_.

…

Hiccup cracked his eyes open and shut them almost instantly; there was sunlight streaming through something, probably his window, and it was _not_ inviting. Just as he became comfortable with the darkness again…

"Hiccup? You awake?"

Hiccup opened his eyes again and squinted. The blurry figure of Astrid swam into focus.

"Yeah," he croaked. "How...how long was I-I out…?"

"A few hours," said Astrid, "but Gothi said you'll be wanting to sleep a lot more than usual...she said it's expected."

"Oh…" Hiccup said quietly, and he shut his eyes. "Did...did Viggo-"

"Hold up," said Astrid, and she pressed her finger to his lips to silence him. "You were stabbed a few days ago. You are _not_ going to spend your recovery asking us questions about Viggo, alright? Gothi just got you stitched up. She's impressed by your recovery so far. Don't blow it now."

Hiccup opened his eyes long enough to say, "But...you look worried again-"

"Yeah, I'm worried," said Astrid. "I admit it. I've...I've got a lot on my mind, but you don't have to worry about that. Don't worry about me. Just worry about healing up, alright? In a few weeks you'll be fine."

Toothless cooed happily and nuzzled Hiccup's side in agreement. Hiccup laughed weakly, coughed twice, and shut his eyes again. Astrid sighed heavily and kissed his forehead; she was just happy he was still alive.

At that moment, the hatch leading into the hut lifted open, and Toothless, once again, lunged at the door, teeth bared, snarling.

"Steady, Toothless. It's just me. Thanks for keeping guard."

Stoick. Toothless sheathed his teeth instantly, and both Night Fury and Berkian Chief stepped into the light of the room.

"Stoick," said Astrid in greeting; she was still holding Hiccup's hand, and she didn't plan on letting go any time soon.

"Astrid," said Stoick, and he sat down on the edge of the bed across from her, pressed his hand against Hiccup's forehead, and frowned. "His fever's gotten higher-"

"But he's getting better," said Astrid reassuringly. "He was awake a few minutes ago, actually. Gothi's expecting him to have a full recovery, without sending in a healer from the mainlands."

Stoick sighed evidently in relief; he looked years older than he'd ever looked before. "Thank Odin…" he whispered, and he let his hand linger on his son's forehead for a few moments before withdrawing it. "And what of his fever?"

"Herbs should bring that down," said Astrid. "Like yarrow and peppermint. She doesn't think the wound is getting infected, or anything. She thinks the fever is just his body trying to mend itself. It's a good sign. She'd be more worried if he _didn't_ have a fever."

For a few moments after Stoick nodded, there was silence. Then, Stoick finally said, "The men are out. They're going to meet Viggo and his army in battle."

At the mention of Viggo, Astrid's eyes narrowed in fury. "Death is too good for him," she snarled. "He deserves more than death."

"Yes, he does," said Stoick, who, like Astrid, looked simply beside himself with fury. "But unfortunately, the most we can do is make his death as painful as we can."

Toothless unsheathed his teeth and growled again. Astrid rubbed the dragon's head in hopes to abate some of his fury, but she was as angry as Toothless was, as angry as Stoick was.

"Oh," said Stoick, "the dragon riders wanted me to ask you how you were doing."

"I'm doing okay," said Astrid. "Would you mind if they came in and saw Hiccup next time he wakes up? They were worried about him...if Hiccup's up to it, of course, and I'll make them go one at a time-"

"Of course," said Stoick. "Of course they can."

"I'm surprised they didn't go after Viggo with the rest of the army."

"Admittedly, so am I," said Stoick, "but I think they stayed behind for the same reason you, Toothless, and I did. Once they realize Hiccup's alright, I'm sure they'll go meet Viggo in battle."

For a brief moment, Astrid had a flashback.

" _I'm sorry, Astrid...I couldn't...I couldn't...wasn't...smart enough…"_

" _No, no, you did great, Hiccup. You were terrific, you really were…"_

" _I tried...I tried…"_

" _Hiccup...HICCUP!"_

And then that moment ended, and Astrid nodded.

"I'll go meet Viggo soon," she said. "How long do you think it'll take before our army gets to Viggo's?"

"If Viggo did all this," said Stoick, "to start a war against us, which I believe he did, he isn't going to wait around for us to reach him. He's going to bring his ships out to meet us. If that's the case…"

"It shouldn't be more than a day before the war really begins," said Astrid, and she looked down. "It's my fault, Stoick," she said. "If I had figured out Viggo's plan before he got here, Hiccup wouldn't have...he wouldn't have gotten hurt like this."

"It's not your fault, Astrid," said Stoick, shaking his head. "Don't blame yourself. I know, it isn't easy to do, but believe me, it's not the right thing to think about."

"What do I do, Stoick?" said Astrid, almost sadly. "I...I keep thinking about what I could've done to prevent...this." She gestured at Hiccup helplessly; Toothless gave a low growl.

"Aye," said Stoick, nodding, "but there's nothing you could've done. You know that, Astrid."

"I do," said Astrid. "I _know_ , but I don't...I don't...my conscience still tells me-"

"That it's your fault. I understand. I've felt like that a lot in the past, Astrid, and it's not something easily overcome. You know this from experience."

Astrid nodded, remembering the day she had trained Berk's A-Team, and the reason behind the training.

"Tell you what," said Stoick. "Take all the furious, angry feelings you might have towards yourself, and point them all at Viggo."

It took Astrid a few moments to do this, but when she did…

"Viggo is going to _die."_

…

"So, according to Gothi, Hiccup is going to have a full recovery."

Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut leapt from their seats and sighed collectively in relief. Ruffnut and Tuffnut did a celebratory bang against each other's heads, and Tuffnut, still too thrilled to help himself, grabbed Snotlout by his shoulders and bashed their heads together, too.

"That's great news, Astrid!" said Fishlegs. "As of now, though, how's Hiccup doing?"

"Well, Toothless lunges at everyone who walks through his door," said Astrid, "so I think as far as everything goes, he's more 'protected' than anything. He's still pretty out of it, but Stoick said you guys can go see him next time he wakes up, if you want."

"Well, he's probably going to be 'out of it' for a while, isn't he?" said Fishlegs. "I mean, with a wound like the one he sustained, we're lucky he's still alive."

"Yes, blah blah blah, we're lucky he's alive," said Snotlout. "So, when can we see him?"

"Aw, Snotlout!" said Ruffnut, and for the first time since Hiccup's injury, she was joking around. "You _do_ care!"

"Of course I do!" snapped Snotlout. "Hiccup's my cousin, I have to care! That, and...well...Hiccup's saved our butts more than I want to think about, so...I kinda owe him a 'thank you'-"

"SNOTLOUT CARES!" shouted Tuffnut flat-out. "HE _CARES!_ PEOPLE OF EARTH, THERE HAS BEEN A DEVELOPMENT! SNOTLOUT CARES AFTER ALL!"

Ruffnut sighed. "I guess I owe you five sheep."

"Okay, fine!" said Snotlout angrily, crossing his arms. "I do care, alright? I care about Hiccup, I care about you all! Now leave me alone! Astrid, when can we see Hiccup?"

"We can go on over now if you want," said Astrid. "But we have to go one at a time. We don't want to overwhelm him before he's ready."

She mounted Stormfly, and the other riders hopped on their dragons enthusiastically. Once they were all ready, they took to the sky and flew over to Hiccup's hut.

It was a few hours before Hiccup woke up again, and when he did, it was to Astrid, Fishlegs, and Toothless staring down at him, each of them looking considerably concerned and relieved.

"Fishlegs?" he murmured.

"Hiccup!" said Fishlegs. "Thank Thor!" He quieted down dramatically after another moment, though he never stopped talking. "We've all been so worried, are you okay?"

"I'm-"

"I'm sorry, we're all sorry! We wish we could've stopped Viggo, but...but...oh Hiccup! We're just glad you're okay!"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Hiccup said tiredly. "Thanks, Fishlegs…"

"The others wanted to see you," said Astrid, and Hiccup lifted his dazed eyes to look at her. "Stoick left a little while ago, but he said he doesn't mind them seeing you as long as you didn't."

"Oh, sure," said Hiccup. "Yeah...go 'head."

Fishlegs rose to his feet and smiled, wiping at his eyes. "Well, get well soon," he said.

"Thanks, Fishlegs."

And Fishlegs left. He was replaced by Snotlout, who, after being cleared by Toothless, stepped over, almost shyly.

"So...Hiccup," he said. "You getting along okay?"

"Okay. D-Define okay?"

Snotlout rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm glad," he said. "I guess I just wanted to tell you...um...well...thanks. Thanks for, y'know, always protecting us and everything. I don't think I've ever said it to you before...but I think you're brave, probably even braver than me...why are you looking at me like that?"

"Who are you and what have you done to Snotlout?"

"Hey, I'm not heartless!" snapped Snotlout.

"Well..."

"Well, not _completely…"_

"Better…"

"But I think you're brave, and I respect that," said Snotlout, and he shrugged, hoping it didn't look forced. Saying this was harder than he had thought. "So...thanks."

"Thanks yourself."

"Right…" Snotlout headed back to the door, and when he left with one final smile, the twins raced in, almost hysterically, as if they were being chased.

"Hiccup!" they shouted in unison, and before Hiccup could say anything, they launched into a fast, unstoppable conversation.

"We're sorry-"

"-we didn't stop Viggo in time! You should've-"

"-told us he was trying to kill you! We would've blown the Edge full of boobytraps, we could've stopped him-"

"Yeah, seriously! We could've!"

"But we didn't-"

"So we're-"

"Sorry!" they finished, in unison, and then, they looked at each other, said, "Jinx! Great minds think alike! Oh, Thor, we're still saying the same thing! Stop it. You can stop it. It's not funny anymore. Stop. Stop. Stopstopstopstopstopstop-"

"No, it's fine," said Hiccup, nodding in reassurance. "I...I get it. Thanks, guys…it...means a lot..."

"Okay, out you get," said Astrid, giving the twins a small shove towards the door. "Let him sleep."

"Bye, Hiccup!" the twins called, and Hiccup barely had time to respond before he was sleeping again. Astrid looked from him to Toothless and nodded.  
"Watch him, Toothless," said Astrid firmly. "It won't take long."

Toothless nodded in agreement, and Astrid headed outside. Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and their dragons were all waiting, Gronckle Iron weapons at the ready.

"So," said Astrid, "now we all know he's going to pull through. You guys ready?"

"Ready," the riders replied in almost perfect unison.

"Let's go show Viggo what we're made of," said Snotlout, punching his fist into his palm.


	5. Chapter 5

**^o,o^ It is an owl. I love the owl. :D**

 **Hey guys! Long time no see, aye? :D Okay, so I think this story's only going to go up to seven chapters...yeah, sorry, it's going to be a bit shorter than SITC and TWP1, but I don't want to stretch it for longer than I have to...you know, adding totally useless details and dialogue and such. The story gets boring really quick if I do that. :) So, shout-outs:**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Die, Viggo! Yeah, Astrid! Feed Viggo to the Screaming Death! :D**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Yeah, Hiccup and Snotlout interactions are great. I have too much fun writing them sometimes. :D**

 **Crystallion12: I...have...posted...more. XDXDXD YES, let's get the twins to use their dragon, blow Viggo to bits, throw Viggo's remains to the Whispering Deaths, and throw those remains to the Scauldrons! Bwahahahahahahahaha! Or we can just leave him to rot in highschool! That works too! :D :D :D Aww, no, I don't have a Build-a-Bear Toothless, but I've seen pictures of them! THEY'RE SO CUTE! :D :D :D It's funny, I don't actually have any toys/necklaces/hairpins/whatever from the HTTYD franchise, which is kinda weird, because I'm a big fan of it. XD**

 **MissPitchPerfect25: Thanks! :D And yeah, Hiccstrid feels! :D**

 **Guest (#1): Okay! :D**

 **Midnight510: Yep. I think Snotlout can care a lot more than he lets on. XD And I love the twins! They're so funny! :D :D :D**

 **Charr2003: I know, right? I think something went wrong on Fanfiction when I posted that last chapter, because normally I get email alerts myself when I post a chapter to my story, and I didn't even get a chapter alert. o_O Fanfiction u ok? XD And do NOT get on Astrid's bad side, or Stoick's, or Toothless', or Snotlout's...or anyone who's Hiccup's friend for that matter. :D Thanks! :D Hiccstrid, yay! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Die Viggo! :D**

 **SnivyDragon: Viggo needs to die! And the fight shall commence, soon! :D :D YAY, FIGHT VIGGO, DAGUR! GO BERKIANS! :D**

 **Artwing7: I love the twins! :D :D :D Thanks! :D**

 **Guest (#2): Thanks! :D**

 **wikelia: EXACTLY! GO ASTRID! AND GO SNOTLOUT! :D :D :D**

 **bananablight: Aw, thanks! :D I'm glad you're liking the series of "episodes" so far, and I hope you continue to like them! :D Thanks a bunch! :D**

 **AnimeAngel: I understood that reference! XD And yeah, I write a lot, but sometimes I still make typos...*shrugs* XD**

* * *

The dragon riders took to the sky on the backs of their dragons, just as dawn stretched over the Edge. Stormfly and Astrid led the group, and the other riders and dragons filed in V-formation behind her.

Then, from behind, they heard a roar, and when they turned, they saw Skullcrusher and Stoick soaring towards them, Stoick's axe held in his hand.

"Chief!" said Fishlegs. "I thought you were going to stay with Hiccup!"

"I was going to," said Stoick, "but the idea of killing Viggo myself became extremely appealing."

" _I_ wanted to kill Viggo!" pouted Snotlout, crossing his arms. "This isn't fair!"

It was impossible to tell which side would triumph and which side wouldn't; quite impossible indeed. By the time the dragons and riders caught up with the Berkian ships, Viggo's armada was coming into sight.

"Remember, he has dragon root arrows!" shouted Astrid across the sky to the other riders. "If your dragons get hit, land on one of the Berkian ships and wait the fight out!"

"We're not going to get hit by any of those loser arrows!" said Snotlout. "We'll dodge them and hit Viggo before he knows what's coming! Booyah!"

"Booyah!" echoed Ruffnut and Tuffnut, punching their fists into the air.

And the riders soared down, towards the surface of the ocean, towards the Berkian ships, where they would wait for just the right moment to strike. As soon as Viggo's ships got close enough...it wouldn't be long now...

"VIGGO GRIMBORN! I DEMAND YOU FIGHT ME, IF YOU DARE!"

Astrid yanked on Stormfly's horns to pull her back; beside her, the other riders jumped in what appeared to be shock, all staring at the source of the voice.

"That wasn't one of our own, was it?" Fishlegs asked, moving Meatlug upwards anxiously as to get a better look.

"What's going on?" said Snotlout.

"Whatever it is," said Tuffnut, crossing his arms, "it sounded like Dagur."

The shout was followed by maniacal laughter coming from the same person who had shouted. Stormfly raised her head; so did Astrid and the other riders and dragons.

"Whoa!" said Ruffnut. "I think it _is_ Dagur!"

"But what does he want with Viggo?" said Astrid. "They're supposed to be allies, right?"

Dagur was back on his ship with his Berserkers, and Viggo and he stared at each other, a small patch of ocean separating the Berserker mothership and the dragon hunter mothership.

"You killed my brother!" shouted Dagur, swinging his axe around threateningly. "I was waiting for _so, so, so_ long to get my revenge, and _you stole it from me!"_

"What is he talking about?" muttered Tuffnut, waving his hands madly. "Dagur has a brother? Who'd want to be _his_ brother?"

"He's not talking about his about his actual brother," said Astrid, coming to the realization. "He's talking about-"

"Hiccup?" called Viggo back, though he sounded unconcerned, as if he had been expecting Dagur to rebel against him. "The boy was as much my enemy as he was yours. Killing him was-"

"It was _my_ destiny!" shouted Dagur maniacally. "And you took it from me! I faced Hiccup in many battles, for many years! Killing him was my ambition, not yours!"

"He doesn't know Hiccup lived," Astrid said, her voice a breathless whisper. "He doesn't know Hiccup survived. He thinks Hiccup is dead."

"And he's angry with Viggo because of it," said Snotlout.

Astrid looked down, back at Dagur and Viggo. Viggo's men weren't focusing on the Berkian ships anymore, which were still a good ways away. They were focused on the closer threat of Dagur's armada. If Astrid and the other riders could buy the Berkians some extra time, maybe they could get the hunters to forget about the Berkians entirely…

"Oh no," whispered Snotlout, shaking his head feverishly. "Oh no."

"What?" said Astrid. "What is it?"

"That face," said Snotlout, pointing. "I've seen that face before...you're going to pull a Hiccup on us, aren't you?"

"A what?"

"A Hiccup!" snapped Snotlout. "Where you come up with a brilliant plan and don't tell anyone about it until the _literal last minute-"_

"I'll be right back!" said Astrid, and she turned and flew Stormfly downwards, towards where Stoick had landed Skullcrusher on the deck of the ship.

"Stoick!" she called as she landed Stormfly and leapt off the dragon's back. "Dagur's turning against Viggo!"

Stoick turned to look at her instantly. "What!?" he blurted, sounding more shocked than relieved.

"Did you ever wonder," said Astrid, "the day Hiccup was stabbed, why didn't Viggo just stab him in the chest? I mean, Viggo was trying to kill him, so why not get it over with? It's because he wanted to have the last word. He wanted Hiccup to watch him leave, he wanted Hiccup to see that Viggo had triumphed. He wanted Hiccup to feel guilty for failing again with his final breaths.

"But he didn't count on me making it past his soldiers and finding Hiccup. He expected Hiccup to bleed to death before anyone got around to saving him. The dagger wasn't supposed to kill him, Stoick. That's why he's recovering so quickly. It was the bloodloss, not the stab, that was supposed to kill him Which is where he failed. So Dagur thinks Hiccup is dead, and he wants to fight Viggo because of it."

"What are you saying, Astrid?" said Stoick.

"Well," said Astrid, "the enemy of our enemy is our friend, right? So, what if...what if we backed Dagur up? What if, for once, we fought with the Berserkers and helped them take out Viggo? It doesn't have to be anything permanent, of course-"

"Of course," said Stoick. "I see what you mean...we can back him up, take out Viggo and the hunters, and then, taking out Dagur's armada should be easy. We've done it before."

"Exactly!" said Astrid. "But first we need to take out Viggo."

"HEY!" shouted Snotlout from above. "Are you going to explain or not!?"

"You go on and explain to the other riders," said Stoick. "I'll alert the men. As soon as Viggo's out of the picture-"

"Fight Dagur," said Astrid, and when Stoick nodded, she leapt on Stormfly's back and took to the air, flying upwards to meet the other riders in the sky.

"What kind of maniacal plan are we doing, Astrid?" said Snotlout instantly.

"We're going to back Dagur up," said Astrid. "He's angry at Viggo for 'killing' Hiccup. As long as he's fighting Viggo, we're going to back him up and help him take out the dragon hunters. Then, we'll fight Dagur."

"That's just the kind of crazy, insane, stupid plan Hiccup would come up with!" said Tuffnut excitedly. "It just might work!"

"Now," said Astrid, "we're going to go in, as close to the hunter ships as we can get. Remember not to get too close. We don't want any downed riders. While Viggo and his men are distracted with Dagur, we'll go in and take them out. Take out the catapults, the archers, the nets, anything that will give the Berkians a clear path to these ships."

"Sounds like fun," said Snotlout.

"But be careful," said Astrid. "Ruffnut, Tuffnut, you two are in charge of taking out as many of the catapults as you can. Get in as close as you can, and have Barf and Belch blow up anything in sight."

"Did you just hear what I heard?" said Tuffnut, turning to look at his sister. "Pinch me. I must be dreaming."

"Fishlegs, you and Meatlug, follow Ruffnut and Tuffnut," said Astrid. "After they make their first moves, while the men focus on them, you two go in for the strike."

"Will do," said Fishlegs.

"Snotlout, you and Hookfang are with me," said Astrid. "We'll go behind the others and make sure they're covered. When they're safe, we'll go in for our own lines of fire."

"But what if we get hit?" said Fishlegs. "We need a backup plan."

"We'll have one," said Astrid. "I just haven't thought of it yet."

Snotlout moaned. "Oh, Thor!" he said. "She's going all Hiccup on us! Make it stop!"

"Hey, Hiccup always manages to get us out of everything alive," said Astrid. "When in doubt, do what Hiccup would do. Think like Hiccup. Does everyone know what they're supposed to do?"

"BLOW STUFF UP!" cheered the twins, throwing their hands into the air.

"Yes," said Fishlegs.

"Yeah," said Snotlout.

"Good!" said Astrid. "Come on, let's go!"

They turned their dragons towards Viggo's ships and flew as fast as they could. Viggo and Dagur were lowering planks onto each other's ships, and by the time the riders and dragons got there, war had already broken out. Dagur and Viggo fought each other while the hunters fought the Berserkers. The catapults were being loaded and aimed towards the Berserker ships, and Berserker catapults were being loaded and aimed towards the hunter ships.

"Take out the hunter catapults, now!" said Astrid, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut soared downwards, shrieking like banshees on a holiday.

"Yeeeeaaaahhhh!" they cheered, and with a few blasts from Barf and Belch, two catapults were out. Another catapult was aimed in their direction; a quick (well, as quick as a Gronckle could be) dive from Meatlug and Fishlegs took that out.

"Nice!" said Astrid. "Come on, Snotlout! Now it's our turn!"

They turned and dove straight downwards, towards the ships. Astrid intentionally soared Stormfly directly towards the ship Viggo and Dagur were fighting on, and beside her, Snotlout followed her lead.

"You're going to pay for what you did to Hiccup," Astrid hissed under her breath. "You're going to _pay_."


	6. Chapter 6

**NOT DEAD! :D :D :D :D**

 **SNEEP SNOOP.**

 **BEEP BOOP.**

 **I'M A BAD GIRl. *sobs* THREE DAYS WITHOUT AN UPDATE. THAT'S TOO LONG.**

 **But in my defense it took me a long time to decide how to end this chapter...please don't hate me, guys, I mean no harm. :) I've been watching the BBC show "Merlin" for a while, too. Second season, yeah! *fist pump* Except I know the ending is going to kill me because of everything I've heard about it over social media and stuff, sooooo...yeah. I'm just waiting here patiently for my heart to be viciously ripped out of my chest, thank you very much. XD**

 **That, and I've been working on an original story of mine, plus we've been busy, school, need I make more excuses? No? Good! No one wants to hear them! :D I'll do shout-outs NEXT chapter, I promise. :D I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! :D HAVE A GREAT DAY, AND ENJOY CHAPTER 6! :D**

* * *

Viggo saw them coming before they had the chance to do any real damage. After shoving Dagur backwards, he pulled the lever to one of the loaded catapults, and a giant rock flew straight at Stormfly and Hookfang. Astrid yanked on Stormfly's horns, and the Nadder dodged, while Hookfang spun to avoid it. Unfortunately, when he spun, Snotlout was thrown off his back, and he landed flat on his back on the deck of the ship below.

"Snotlout!" Astrid called.

Snotlout leapt to his feet and drew his sword. "Don't worry about me, babe!" he called happily. "I've got it covered!" And he spun around to parry with one of Viggo's soldiers coming towards him.

Astrid stood atop Stormfly's back and leapt off, drawing her axe while she was still falling. She landed right on top of the soldier attacking Snotlout, just before Snotlout swung his sword. Astrid tossed her head and smirked at the look of disappointment on Snotlout's face.

"I totally had that guy!" he complained.

"I'm sure you did," said Astrid, smirking. While Snotlout tried to figure out whether or not she was being sarcastic, Astrid turned and whacked a soldier's consciousness out of him with the flat of her axe.

"Come on, Snotlout!" she said over her shoulder, racing towards the catapult to dismantle it should Viggo try and reload. "Let's go help Dagur!"

"I can't believe you're actually saying that!" said Snotlout, and he, sword in hand, raced after Astrid. "Let's do this!"

And they charged towards Viggo's soldiers, screaming like happy banshees. Snotlout was the first to reach the soldiers, and Astrid was right on his tail. They swung their weapons at the approaching attackers, and Hookfang and Stormfly dropped down from the sky to join their riders in the fight.

"Go on, go on!" said Astrid. "Come on, Snotlout! Stormfly, spine shot, now!" Stormfly flicked her tail; spines embedded themselves on the deck of the ship, blocking the way of running soldiers. While they were distracted, Astrid and Snotlout pounced.

Above them, Fishlegs, the twins, and their dragons took out the remaining catapults. While they were still doing that, Astrid turned. Viggo and Dagur were still fighting, only now, it wasn't Viggo who was fighting; it was two of Viggo's soldiers, and Ryker.

Astrid looked at Snotlout as he raced over to her. "Convince Dagur that Hiccup's dead," she said. "Look as desperate to kill Viggo as Dagur is. Pretend you want him dead more than anything else in the world."

"I don't need to pretend _that_ ," said Snotlout, balling his fists. "You ready?"

"Definitely," said Astrid, and together, she and Snotlout ran to face Viggo. Snotlout reached him first, and Viggo raised his sword to parry casually.

"You're going to pay for what you did, Viggo!" shouted Snotlout. "You're - going - to - _pay!"_ He swung his sword, but before he could do anything else, Viggo hailed over more of his soldiers, who took on Snotlout while he turned and strode in the opposite direction.

Astrid wasn't going to let him get off that easily. She turned and raced towards him; he flicked his wrist, and when his soldiers turned to take on Astrid, she knocked them out easily with the flat of her axe and kept running.

Even if Hiccup _had_ lived, she was still going to kill Viggo for attempting to kill Hiccup, for stabbing Hiccup, for putting Hiccup in such unnecessary pain-

She sprang on Viggo and slammed her axe against his sword. They were at the stern of the ship now, at the very edge. Astrid pressed her axe against Viggo's sword, glaring hard.

"You have nowhere else to run," snarled Astrid, breathing heavily. "You have no other soldiers to _expend_ , nothing else to throw at us. Dagur is against you. You have two armies against you now. You brought this war upon yourself, and now you're going to pay the price."

Viggo pressed hard against her weapon in response, teeth clenched, eyes remaining cool and collected as they always were. "I was expecting Dagur to turn against me," said Viggo. "I realized his treachery, just as I did your _friend_ , Heather. The traitors will always be found out in the end."

"You may have realized it," said Astrid, "but you didn't prepare for it. You didn't have time. By the time you figured it out, it was too late. Admit it, Viggo. Admit to defeat."

Viggo and her were pushing against each other so hard now it was almost as though they were playing a reverse tug-a-war. Viggo didn't admit to defeat; instead, he smiled.

"You are being extremely calm for someone whose leader just perished," said Viggo, grinning softly.

"It shouldn't bother you," growled Astrid furiously. "People are expendable to you, aren't they? Hiccup knew that. You have to move on. The dead exist in the past."

"But Hiccup wasn't your past," said Viggo. "You don't think I couldn't see what was going on between you? Hiccup may have been protective over all of you equally, but I saw the way he looked at you. The way you looked at him. I'm not blind."

He leaned closer.

"You loved him, didn't you?"

"And you killed him," said Astrid. "You killed him, and I'm not going to-"

"I know how one reacts when they lose someone they love dearly," said Viggo. "Don't take me for a fool. If Hiccup were truly dead, we wouldn't be having this conversation. If Hiccup were truly dead, you wouldn't wait around to talk to me...you would fight me head on, you would make me pay for killing the man you loved...deny me this, if you can: Hiccup isn't really dead, is he?"

It was a statement, not a question.

Astrid didn't wait around for Viggo to confirm his own assumptions. She yanked back her axe and swung it just as quickly; Viggo met her weapon with a lazy parry, and they launched into battle.

…

The Berkian ships pulled up right alongside the dragon hunter ships, and on Stoick's command, the men dispatched, waving swords and screaming as though mentally disturbed. The dragon hunters fought back valiantly, but it was clear they were outnumbered by the combination of the Berkian soldiers and the Berserker soldiers. The Berserkers didn't fight the Berkians when they realized they were both fighting a common enemy: the dragon hunters. When that common enemy was destroyed, who knew what would happen.

But for now, the two tribes had formed an unspoken peace treaty; an unspoken alliance, and the fight continued on and on, the dragons attacking from the air, and the soldiers fighting on the ships below, taking out catapults and archers in their wake.

The Berkians and Berserkers were winning the battle.

…

Snotlout knocked a soldier out with a quick, strong punch, and when he spun around, he knocked out a second one with the flat of his Gronckle Iron sword. Dagur was fighting Ryker, laughing maniacally, swinging so quickly that Ryker had a hard time keeping up with his swipes. Snotlout raced over, leapt atop a barrel, jumped off, and, with a shout, landed directly on top of Viggo, knocking Viggo's brother to the deck of the ship.

Dagur raised his axe and brought down the flat of it on Ryker's head, knocking the man out cold. Snotlout punched the air in triumph and, before he thought about what he was doing, high-fived Dagur.

"YES!" cheered Snotlout, and then, to Dagur, "This isn't going to be a regular thing though, is it? Working with you?"

"I hope not," muttered Dagur, looking down at his hand in disgust. "Did you really just high-five me-"

Snotlout turned and tackled another approaching soldier - attacking the hunter was more appealing to him than answering Dagur's question.

Dagur turned, spotted Viggo fighting Astrid, and raced towards him, ready to finish what he had started.

…

"YOU'RE GOING TO _PAY_ , VIGGO!" shouted Astrid, swinging her axe over her head in an arch; Viggo stepped out of the way, and Astrid prepared her next strike even more carefully, knowing that soon enough, Viggo would have her strategy memorized, and fighting him would no longer be an easy task. "You're going to pay for what you did to Hiccup, you're going to pay for what you did to Eyelicker, and you're going to pay for being the most horrible, disgusting human being in the archipelago!"

Viggo swung his sword at her, and she met his blow with a swing of her own weapon. "Don't be a spoiled sport," said Viggo calmly. "You always knew I was smarter than Hiccup. Even Hiccup knew _that_ much."

"But smarter doesn't mean better!" Astrid shouted, throwing what could have been a fatal blow had Viggo blocked it a second later than he did. "You are _nothing_ like Hiccup! Hiccup is a better person than you'll ever be! You could be smarter than him, but Hiccup knows what's right and what's wrong. He cares about people regardless of who they are. He doesn't try and _murder_ innocent people, just because they threaten him!"

She swung again. She didn't see Dagur running up behind them, grabbing a long, thick chain as he did so.

"You are selfish - murderous - evil - prideful - arrogant - moronic - and all around _horrible!"_ Astrid shouted, delivering blows between each insult. "What you deserve is something worse than death! You deserve worse than the worst! You deserve to die a thousand times over!"

Astrid slammed her axe hard against Viggo's sword, and this time, finally, the weapon flew out of Viggo's grip and embedded itself in the ship's mast. Astrid stepped back, breathing heavily, axe remaining raised.

"And you know it," she said heavily and threateningly - _knowingly_. "Don't you?"

And that was when Dagur attacked.

He tackled Viggo to the ground, winding the heavy chains around Viggo's arms and neck. Astrid didn't have time to react; another one of Viggo's hunters had come up from behind her, and she had to parry in order to keep her head attached to her neck. Dagur and Viggo wrestled, and by the looks of it, Dagur was winning.

The heavy chains that looked like they could hold down even the strongest of dragons were wound around Viggo's body, and he and Dagur continued wrestling even then, until they neared the edge of the ship, until they nearly fell over the edge-

It all happened so suddenly.

One shove in the right direction from Dagur, and Viggo fell off the side of his ship and into the ocean below. Astrid quickly knocked out the soldier she was fighting and raced to the edge, standing beside Dagur, looking down into the water.

A minute passed.

Two minutes passed.

Three minutes.

Four minutes.

Five…

Viggo didn't resurface.

Astrid swallowed hard, unable to believe it. "He's…" she said. "He's...he's _dead."_


	7. Chapter 7

**Um...**

 **Yeaaaaaahhhhhh, so, I'm really sorry, guys. I know it's been way too long since last I updated, and though I can pull up about a hundred excuses, I'm not going to do that, because I'm sure all of you guys understand that sometimes life and school get in the way of writing. :) But this is the LAST CHAPTER, and THANK YOU ALL for sticking with me! :D It means so much!**

 **So, unfortunately, my email isn't working right now (DRAT!) so I won't be able to do individual shout-outs, but I have one shout-out to everyone:**

 **YOU ARE ALL AMAZING AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D**

 **There we go! :D Enjoy chapter 7! :D :D :D**

* * *

Needless to say, the dragon hunters panicked. The soldiers who had seen what Dagur did to their leader - who was supposed to be indestructible, the smartest man in the world - instantly began shouting to the rest of the crew.

"VIGGO IS DEAD! VIGGO IS DEAD! RETREAT! _RETREAT!"_

The instant the shouts began, Astrid ran as far away from Dagur as she could, knowing that now Viggo was gone, the Berkians would be Dagur's next target. "Stormfly!" she called, cupping her hand around her mouth, and Stormfly swooped in from above, roaring madly. Astrid leapt onto the dragon's back and shot into the air once more.

"Snotlout, get Hookfang and get in the air!" Astrid shouted down at Snotlout, who was just about to run against another dragon hunter.

"Aw, come on!" said Snotlout. "Let me have 'em!"

"Not now, Snotlout!" said Astrid. "Not now! There will be another time! You need to worry about the Berserkers! The dragon hunters are retreating!"

For once, Snotlout listened. "Hookfang!" he shouted, and the Monstrous Nightmare swooped in out of nowhere, grabbed Snotlout by his ankle, and pulled him back into the sky. Astrid, Snotlout, and the other riders soared, landed on Stoick's mothership, and dismounted their dragons.

The dragon hunter ships were nearly out of sight by now in their haste to retreat; Astrid wondered how Ryker would react, when he realized Viggo was dead...Ryker was unconscious through the end of the battle...

"Stoick!" Astrid called when she caught sight of their Chief, and she raced towards him. "Viggo is dead! He drowned, Dagur drowned him! The hunters are retreating!"

Stoick didn't have the opportunity to say anything else before another shout traveled through the air and reached their ears.

"STOICK, CHIEF OF BERK!" shouted Dagur, standing on his Berserker mothership with his soldiers standing sentinel beside him. "HERE WE ARE, JUST AS IT ALWAYS SHOULD BE! BERSERKER AGAINST BERKIAN! CHIEF AGAINST CHIEF! Except, it _used_ to be Chief against Hiccup, which is what it _should_ be!"

Astrid wondered how long it would take before Dagur realized Hiccup wasn't dead.

"FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE," said Dagur, raising his hands, "I AM CALLING...A TEMPORARY PEACE TREATY! My men and I are leaving for Berserk to celebrate the triumph over Viggo and his - his - _hunters_." He spat the word out, and then went back to smiling madly. "Do you agree to this temporary peace treaty!?"

Astrid looked at the Berkian men, who had regrouped back onto their ships when the hunters retreated, and they looked weary. Fighting now was _not_ a good idea, and before Astrid could mention this to Stoick, Stoick was shouting back his answer.

"Very well!" said Stoick.

"YES!" shouted Dagur in triumph. "Men, turn the ships around! We're going home!"

It was probably the weirdest thing the riders had ever watched. They watched, for once, without firing catapults or forcing the retreat. The Berserkers sailed their ships out, singing and cheering happily over their victory over Viggo and his hunters. Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Stoick, and the twins watched them leave, and as soon as they were gone, Stoick turned to the rest of the men.

"Head back to Dragon's Edge!" Stoick commanded. "It's time we go home ourselves!"

And the ships were turned, and their new course was set. Astrid watched the water as they left, thinking that somehow, possibly, Viggo would resurface…

But he never did.

"He's dead?" said Fishlegs, coming up to stand behind Astrid. "Viggo's really dead?"

"I think he is," said Astrid.

"But this is a good thing, isn't it?" said Snotlout. "We wanted him dead, right? That's why we came. That's why we fought."

"You're right, Snotlout," said Astrid. "We did come to kill him, and yeah, I'm glad he's dead, too, but...I just...I have this feeling…"

"Oh no," moaned Tuffnut. "It never fails. Just when you think everything might turn out okay, there's always that one last feeling that ruins _everything_."

"Even with Viggo gone," said Astrid, "the dragon hunters are still out there, and they're going to be out for revenge on us. And Dagur and his Berserkers...they're going to be after us, too, when they finish celebrating…"

"Astrid!" said Ruffnut. "Can we please just enjoy our victory without you dooming us? We won! We beat them! We made them run! They're not going to come back...and besides, won't they be going after the Berserkers first, anyways? I mean, Dagur was the one who drowned Viggo, right?"

"But Ryker doesn't know that," said Fishlegs, "and I don't think the other hunters are going to care who actually killed Viggo."

"Thank you, Fishlegs!" groaned Snotlout. "The voice of doom, as always! Looks like we can't even enjoy a victory without feeling like we're failing...you're kidding me…"

"Okay, fine," said Astrid. "We'll talk about it some other time. For now...we're in the lead. One step ahead of the dragon hunters, right alongside Dagur and his Berserkers."

All in all, the fight went better than any of them could have expected.

…

When they arrived back at Dragon's Edge, the Berkians moored their ships and decided to stay the night before traveling back to Berk. Fishlegs supplied them with meals while Snotlout and the twins, willingly, for once in their lives, caught fish from the ocean and brought them back to be roasted.

While they did this, Astrid made her way back to Hiccup's residence to tell him about the fight. She pulled the hatch open and stepped inside. Gothi was nowhere to be seen, and for once, Toothless didn't lunge at the door to see who had walked inside.

Hiccup was, for the first time since beind injured, sitting up, leaning against the headboard of his bed with Toothless curled protectively on the ground, apparently sleeping. Hiccup looked to Astrid and quickly dropped his gaze.

"You could've told me you were going to fight Viggo," he said quietly. "Gothi told me where you went a little while ago…"

"I wanted to," said Astrid, crossing the room and sitting beside him, "but the last time you were awake you were still really weak. I didn't want to worry you."

"I _was_ worried, though," Hiccup said heavily. "When Gothi told me where you guys went, I was worried. You know what Viggo is capable of. And...well...someone could have died. They could have gotten hurt."

He looked at her again...but this time, he smiled faintly.

"But they didn't, did they?" he said.

"No, they didn't," said Astrid. "Everyone's fine, and the hunters and the Berserkers are gone...for now."

"Right…" Hiccup looked back towards the door. "I think I have about ten minutes before Gothi barges in here and whacks me for not resting. Go on. You have bragging rights. How'd you guys do it?"

Astrid thought about Dagur, their temporary teamwork with the Berserkers, and shook her head with a smile of her own. "You'd never believe it if I told you," she said.

"You're talking to the guy who trained a Night Fury," said Hiccup. "I can believe some crazy things."

"Well, alright," said Astrid. "It went something like this…"

…

On a ship sailing back towards a base, Ryker awoke. He stood up, his legs slightly unsteady, his head swimming. He shook his head to clear his vision and looked around.

No Berserker soldiers, and no Berkian soldiers, which was odd, considering that the last time Ryker had seen his ships they had been loaded with men fighting from different sides…

Ryker looked around and noticed something else was missing from the ship, and he stepped towards the first soldier he saw to interrogate.

"Where's Viggo?" Ryker growled.

The soldier spun around, looking horrified. "R-Ryker, sir!" he said, snapping his arm up in a salute.

Ryker was not amused. He grabbed the soldier by his shoulders and held him close to his face so he could snarl, "Where...is...Viggo!?" in the most threatening way he could.

"V-Viggo is dead!" stuttered the soldier helplessly. "He was killed! He's-"

Ryker threw the soldier to the ground, but it wasn't because he was angry. It was because he was shocked. His invincible, genius brother... _dead?_ But how...how could that be?

Ryker threw back his head, and his scream of anguish and fury rang throughout the air.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **So there you go! I hope you all liked it! :D Episode 4 is going to be called "Tooth and Claw", but I don't know when I'm going to be posting that. It could be a while. So, yeah, unfortunately, don't be expecting anything from me for a while (except a few updates on "Stay With Me", which really I think only has two more chapters to go before it's done).**

 **So yeah! You're all amazing, and thank you so much! :D** **Let me know what you think about this fic, and I'm just going to say this before we close:**

 **Nothing is as it seems.**

 **Cheers! :D BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! :D**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


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